A Matter of Taste I

Posted on Wed Dec 7th, 2022 @ 3:58am by Lieutenant Commander Lyra Cassiel & Lieutenant Dr. Daniel Brasken

Mission: In-Between (S1:E3-S1:E4)
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: Mission Day 25 at 1900
3164 words - 6.3 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

Looking at herself in the mirror, Lyra put the finishing touch of a pair of silver hoop earrings into her ears to match the silver and ruby ring on her index finger as well as the simple silver chain with ruby pendant around her neck. She looked quite nice, dressed to impress but not necessarily overly entice. The low cut, long black handkerchief hem tunic top showed off a small amount of cleavage and fit her quite nicely, but it was the deep red pants that hugged every inch of her long legs, up her toned thighs, and around her distinctive and rather impressive ass that definitely caught the eye though her top did hide her backside from view. The heels of her sleek black ankle boots would put her a bit taller than Brasken, but she honestly didn’t care. He’d just have to deal with it.

She left the mirror and walked out of her quarters to head to the mess. She spared a look toward Andrei’s door; she wasn’t sure he was actually all that comfortable with this or not, but she could only go off of what he said and how he had acted. If he was lying to her, hiding his preferences when she had directly asked him if it would bother him, that was on him. Putting it out of her mind, she began the relatively short walk to the mess. She had a couple things to touch on during this dinner for herself and for Mika. She just hoped Brasken would be reasonable about it all.

Lyra walked into the mess, didn’t see him, so went to get a drink from the replicator and took a seat at one of the tables. At this hour it wasn’t really all that busy which suited her just fine; most people were at After 11 by now. She relaxed in her seat and sighed over the brim of her glass before taking a sip. Her mind wandered.

Daniel paused at the doorway as he entered the mess to look around and see if he was first or not. His eyes easily found Lyra at a table and thus seeing her with the less than attentive look on her face took a slower approach to the table. He was wearing a relatively simple outfit of tan slacks and a button up shirt of a light, silver grey material that hugged his torso and arms snuggly but not skin tight with a deep blue vest atop it.

Admittedly he was a bit surprised by Lyra's attire, considering her status with Andrei was of quite the conversational item through the fleet. Still, he appreciated the view nevertheless and was happy to assume this was just how she enjoyed her off hours and not for his benefit. Approaching the table he would be surprised if her attention failed to notice him from several meters away and so he simply motioned towards the chair with a soft smile. "Good evening, Lyra," he said as he took the vacant seat.

“Daniel.” Lyra greeted pleasantly and gave him a smile as he sat down. Her eyes were very difficult to read, but they did roam over him in an appraising way. “You look nice.”

"Thank you, I do try. Clearly you do as well." He smiled back with just a touch of wolfishness in his eyes. "However, we aren't here to admire each other. We could do that from afar with less frustration and complications. We should get some food ordered to test out your new taste buds. Have you found anything of particular interest since the adjustment?

Lyra noticed the expression in his eyes and smirked just slightly. "Oh no, if I was trying, you'd know it." Perhaps in the end it would be a loss to have not spent some time enjoying her reclaimed life, but she couldn't deny her connection with Andrei nor could he with her it seemed; it was still early days though and anything could happen. She was no fool to think otherwise.

"I haven't noticed anything too out of the ordinary, I suppose, though I can't say I'm the most imaginative when it comes to food. I had a dish from my childhood that tasted the same and recently enjoyed sampling some offerings from Russia, though it had been so long since I had that I couldn't tell you if it tasted any different than the first time." She shrugged. "I thought perhaps you might dream up some things you'd want me to try and compare."

"I have a few ideas on what to test you on, though really you are the only person who can say how it compares." With a quick motion, Daniel called over someone with a PADD and entered their first couple orders without saying a word, just a couple quick glances and thoughtful squinting. Then he sent them off with the PADD back to get the items.

"A couple things to start with and get a sense for where you sit on preferences." He motioned to her as he asked, "Any other complaints with the procedure while we wait?"

“I think I’m a bit more sensitive to temperature shifts, but nothing that I find overly troublesome. For the first couple of days my body couldn’t decide if a piece of ice touching my skin actually hurt or not, but that seems to have abated for the most part.” Lyra crossed her legs and sat back in her chair.

"Likely your mind adjusting to the new input patterns and such, nothing surprising there or alarming so long as it settled as you say." Daniel leaned forward, his forearms bracing against the edge of the table. He had to admit to himself that what the woman was going through was particularly fascinating.

"Ah, here we go." The first set of plates arrived, one with meat skewers with a sweet and spicy smelling sauce, another with seared dumplings with a salty brown liquid and the last being simple crackers with a soft cheese and a vegetable relish atop it.

Lyra noted how he was looking at her - different than most. Of course there was still an attraction there, that was certainly obvious, but she also had the distinct feeling she was being looked at like some sort of science experiment.

Which really given the context she supposed she was.

She mentally shrugged off the feeling as the first plates were brought out and looked over them. “Any preference for where we start then, good doctor? I assume you’re going to write all this down.” She smirked.

"I am disappointed that you would insult yourself by thinking that this encounter would not be memorable enough that I would have to write it down." Daniel grinned outright before leaning back enough to move an arm off the table and gesture to the cheese and cracker plate. "This will be the most simple of the items here, then to the dumplings and last the skewers. Each gets progressively more flavorful and that progress should make sure that you experience each fully."

"I'd never insult myself; you science and medical types are always writing things down in the name of science." Lyra shook her head but the smirk remained as she pulled the crackers to the center of the table. She picked up a small napkin and then one of the crackers, politely bringing both up so she could eat the cracker and catch any crumbs in the napkin. As she chewed, she set it back down and picked up the fork to push the relish around a bit.

"So how should we do this? Do you want to tell me what this is supposed to be and I'll tell you how it compares to what I know?"

"That seems like it would work out. Mostly I just figured I would order a range of items and you could test out if anything in particular caught your attention either for good or ill." Daniel picked up one of the crackers himself and ate the whole thing in one bite. It took him a minute to chew and swallow in a way that didn't cause his cheeks to expand in an unattractive way.

"This in particular though, was supposed to be a basic bruschetta. Mild cheese with usually just some tomatoes and a drizzling of a vinegar reduction. I admit I'm not entirely certain what recipe was followed for this plate." He frowned slightly at it as he attempted to puzzle out exactly what he just ate.

"My mother would kill you for serving this and calling it bruschetta." Lyra chuckled and shook her head. "The cucumbers are... a choice and everything tastes like it's been lightly pickled." She paused and made a face as she regarded what was left on the half of the cracker she hadn't eaten. "And I think that is parsley, not basil. Someone needs to just delete that from the database. Awful."

"Clearly your palette is more refined than my own, though in my defense I simply placed the order. I did not create the recipe nor serve it." He took up his fork and impaled one of the dumplings on one end and twisted it around to take a small bit off the end. From there he picked up the sauce and poured it into the now open end and set it back down before leaning back and more casually enjoying the next couple bites and continuing. "The chicken dumplings are well made though. At least in my opinion."

"Lucky for you, I am not my mother." Lyra replied, her tone teasing and she wore a smile to go with it. She waved one of the slaves over to take the offensive mockery of bruschetta away and took a moment to put in an order on the PADD. The slave quickly moved off and Lyra turned her attention to the dumplings. "So tell me, did you find any time to enjoy yourself on Anorra while we were there or did you remain confined and celibate in your office?"

"I found some time to visit the planet for an evening of relaxation mixed with a bit of work on a pet project." Daniel smirked slightly and returned to her first comment. "Considering what I know of you, if you say that I'm lucky then that is a frightful concept." He picked up a skewer and started to eat, the sweetness and spice combining to cause him to close his eyes slightly as he processed the sensations.

"Oh heavens, no. I am much worse than her, but I wouldn't kill for serving bad food... probably." She had noticed the way he explained his time on Anorra and didn't miss the implication in the tone of his voice. She picked up a skewer but instead of eating quite yet, she rubbed the stick back and forth between her thumb and forefinger and made it spin around.

"Is your staff settling back in alright? That planet was hell on my circadian rhythm."

"Mixed results the further down the ranks you go. I'm not one to allow overly indulgent people high into my department, if I'm being honest." Daniel watched her spin the skewer a couple moments before continuing. "A clear mind is more important than quick reflexes in our line of work after all. Though I do admire a well trained security force that can still fight after mental impairment due to muscle memory."

"Yes, I do suppose muscle memory doesn't work quite the same for doctors as it does for people like me." She finally took a bite of one of the dumplings first without the sauce and then with the sauce. Eating food this way was a bit unseemly for nobility, but the lines had been blurred so much in her life now that she didn't pay much attention to it.

"If you don't like the indulgent, then what kind of people do you prefer to let high in your department? Sycophants?"

"Hmm..." Daniel sat back slightly while finishing the last bite from his skewer as he considered the question. "Hardly. I look for those that care for the science over the position. Obviously ambition is something to be commended and encouraged, but in my department at least I want those more interested in the subject than the climb. You cannot fake science and doubly so in the medical field where lives are often on the line."

"I feel like I can taste the acid in the sauce more distinctly than I could before, and I'm picking up more of the orange flavor than I normally would." She offered up in contemplation and then finished the dumpling she had been eating. She wiped her mouth politely with her napkin and then looked at him again. “So you want people who want to be there because it’s actually something they want to pursue in life and not just for power?”

Daniel raised his hand to flag down a server and quickly had them bring him a mixed drink that shaded from a bright yellow to orange from top to bottom and sipped at it before responding. "As a matter or preference, yes. Though I'd hardly turn down an ambitious person who can handle both sides of the coin, the act of science must be primary. Let them seek their ambitions in command if that is all they truly care for."

“Well, with that in mind, I have to confess I’m a little confused then.” Her dark, intense eyes moved up to meet his unique smoky green gaze. He really did have such beautiful eyes and a handsome face. Her eyes didn’t wander from his thought and she made sure she had his attention before she continued. “I heard a rumor that you denied passing Mika Petrova in her medical reviews so she is now unable to ‘graduate’ as it were to the proper rank. Is that true?”

Daniel let out a very soft sigh of disappointment as his eyes darkened marginally. He took another drink and never once let the eye contact drop before answering. "That is correct if somewhat simplified. The cadet was unhappy with a grade that did not stop her from graduating but kept them from top of class." Admittedly he was expecting something like this after his exchange with Mika. The encounter could have been much messier, but he wasn't about to write anything off so soon.

Lyra noticed the sigh and the look in his eyes but pointed out neither. Instead she picked up one of the meat skewers and slid off a piece with her fork to cut and eat it from the plate. "Was the poor grade justified?"

"Sadly 'justified' can mean far too many things, right up there with the Vulcans' bloody logic. Academically though, it was not a perfect paper and the grade reflected that." He was curious as to her eating habits, so clean and orderly for one of her discipline. Daniel approved, the lack of refinement in the Security department was rather wide spread.

"You know, the nice thing about Vulcan logic though is it is very predictable and easy to exploit." She noted after swallowing the bite of food. The flavor combination was interesting, she couldn't remember having something similar recently. "So what was the assignment about, exactly?"

Lyra had obviously heard something and had some form of information, but it wasn't apparent the depth of what she had and unlike most, she seemed to be giving Daniel the opportunity to explain it from his side.

"That depends on which assignment you are referring to that was brought to your attention." Daniel watched her carefully through a practiced guise of nonchalance. "I'll go ahead and fill you in on the particulars of both. An exo-biology paper about surgery techniques that felt like rote memorization rather than understanding the material which led into a...lets call it extra credit assignment of trying to get the cadet to re-evaluate their fears to which they submit a paper that was about what they thought I wanted to hear than actual self examination."

For a moment she was quiet, considering. She took another bite of the food with her fork and knife. After chewing it thoroughly and swallowing, she looked at him again with her brows raised. “Forgive me, but I suppose I don’t understand something about the way your world works. You say she wrote an essay on techniques for surgery. Exactly how is an essay an adequate tool to measure the understanding of a medical procedure? To me that sounds like asking a dancer to write out the steps to a ballet or for a martial artist to write out the steps of a kata. What else are they supposed to write other than what they have memorized? If you question someone’s understanding of the material, would it not be better to give them a different test to further evaluate them?”

"It was mechanical and did not address any of the possible complications or thought process on how to deal with such. Were that what I wanted to correct, then yes that would be the better avenue of evaluation. However, I was disturbed by their obsession with status and wanted to address that before the obsession was taken advantage of in other ways." Daniel explained himself in honest, measured words. Fire was mild compared to what he was playing with right now if something went wrong.

"I see." She paused and looked down to the two pieces of meat left on the skewer. "More sensitive to the... sensation of spiciness, I guess? It is pleasant though." She then looked back up to Daniel. "Exactly what prompt did you give for the exobiology essay then?"

"The standard prompt from the academy. Describe in detail the process of identifying and repairing a respiratory organ on a non-human organism." Daniel nodded at her response to the meat but then continued to keep eye contact as he responded about the paper. "It does not specify complications, but it should be expected to mention them in a detailed analysis."

"Should it? It sounds to me she did exactly what the prompt asked, did she not?" Lyra tilted her head. "It seems to me like you're penalizing her for not being imaginative enough and instead following the rule of what was given to her. Again, would you expect a fighter to account for the moves of the opponent or a dancer to write about what they would do were they to slip and fall? I doubt it. So why here do you expect an aspiring doctor to without prompting bring up any number of potential complications randomly instead of taking the direction at face value and describing in I'm sure what was pristine detail... exactly what was asked for?"

TBC